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Thursday, July 28, 2016

A Drop in the Ocean (part 3)

Our knowledge of God is like a drop in the ocean.  Job, a man who suffered overwhelming trials found this out first-hand....

“In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil. He had seven sons and three daughters, and he owned seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen and five hundred donkeys, and had a large number of servants. He was the greatest man among all the people of the East. His sons used to hold feasts in their homes on their birthdays, and they would invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. When a period of feasting had run its course, Job would make arrangements for them to be purified. Early in the morning he would sacrifice a burnt offering for each of them, thinking, “Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” This was Job’s regular custom.”
‭‭Job‬ ‭1:1-5‬ ‭

The Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Satan answered the Lord, “From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it.” Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.” “Does Job fear God for nothing?” Satan replied. “Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.” The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, everything he has is in your power, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.” Then Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.”
‭‭Job‬ ‭1:7-12‬ ‭

All good gifts, and only good gifts come from God.  Evil and hardship comes from Satan.  God restrains Satan ever moment of every day from destroying us.  Here God allowed Satan to inflict pain and suffering on Job, but to not kill him nor affect his health.  Everything else was open to Satan's attack!

a messenger came to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys were grazing nearby, and the Sabeans attacked and made off with them. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!” While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, “The fire of God fell from the heavens and burned up the sheep and the servants, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!” While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, “The Chaldeans formed three raiding parties and swept down on your camels and made off with them. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!” While he was still speaking, yet another messenger came and said, “Your sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother’s house, when suddenly a mighty wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It collapsed on them and they are dead, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!””
‭‭Job‬ ‭1:14-19‬

“At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.” In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.”
‭‭Job‬ ‭1:20-22‬ ‭

At this point, most all of us would be overwhelmed and angry at God.  Job worshipped Him.

“For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him,”
‭‭Philippians‬ ‭1:29‬ ‭

It is an honor to endure suffering - it makes us more Christ-like.

“And the Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Satan answered the Lord, “From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it.” Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil. And he still maintains his integrity, though you incited me against him to ruin him without any reason.”

But now stretch out your hand and strike his flesh and bones, and he will surely curse you to your face.” The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, he is in your hands; but you must spare his life.””
‭‭Job‬ ‭2:2-3, 5-6‬

Remember: All good gifts, and only good gifts come from God.  Evil and hardship comes from Satan.  God restrains Satan ever moment of every day from destroying us.  Now God allowed Satan to inflict pain and suffering on Job, including his health.  Only death was prevented!

“So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and afflicted Job with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head. Then Job took a piece of broken pottery and scraped himself with it as he sat among the ashes. His wife said to him, “Are you still maintaining your integrity? Curse God and die!” He replied, “You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.”
‭‭Job‬ ‭2:7-10‬

Job continues to worship God.  What would you have done?

“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭10:13‬ ‭

God is faithful to deliver us through ANYTHING.

Now Job begins to question why God would allow such horrible things to occur to him.  Here is God's response...

“Then the Lord spoke to Job out of the storm. He said: “Who is this that obscures my plans with words without knowledge? Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me. “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone— while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy? “Who shut up the sea behind doors when it burst forth from the womb, when I made the clouds its garment and wrapped it in thick darkness, when I fixed limits for it and set its doors and bars in place, when I said, ‘This far you may come and no farther; here is where your proud waves halt’? “Have you ever given orders to the morning, or shown the dawn its place, that it might take the earth by the edges and shake the wicked out of it? The earth takes shape like clay under a seal; its features stand out like those of a garment. The wicked are denied their light, and their upraised arm is broken. “Have you journeyed to the springs of the sea or walked in the recesses of the deep? Have the gates of death been shown to you? Have you seen the gates of the deepest darkness? Have you comprehended the vast expanses of the earth? Tell me, if you know all this. “What is the way to the abode of light? And where does darkness reside? Can you take them to their places? Do you know the paths to their dwellings? Surely you know, for you were already born! You have lived so many years! “Have you entered the storehouses of the snow or seen the storehouses of the hail, which I reserve for times of trouble, for days of war and battle? What is the way to the place where the lightning is dispersed, or the place where the east winds are scattered over the earth? Who cuts a channel for the torrents of rain, and a path for the thunderstorm, to water a land where no one lives, an uninhabited desert, to satisfy a desolate wasteland and make it sprout with grass? Does the rain have a father? Who fathers the drops of dew? From whose womb comes the ice? Who gives birth to the frost from the heavens when the waters become hard as stone, when the surface of the deep is frozen? “Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades? Can you loosen Orion’s belt? Can you bring forth the constellations in their seasons or lead out the Bear with its cubs? Do you know the laws of the heavens? Can you set up God’s dominion over the earth? “Can you raise your voice to the clouds and cover yourself with a flood of water? Do you send the lightning bolts on their way? Do they report to you, ‘Here we are’? Who gives the ibis wisdom or gives the rooster understanding? Who has the wisdom to count the clouds? Who can tip over the water jars of the heavens when the dust becomes hard and the clods of earth stick together? “Do you hunt the prey for the lioness and satisfy the hunger of the lions when they crouch in their dens or lie in wait in a thicket? Who provides food for the raven when its young cry out to God and wander about for lack of food?”
‭‭Job‬ ‭38:1-41‬ ‭

The Lord said to Job: “Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him? Let him who accuses God answer him!” Then Job answered the Lord: “I am unworthy—how can I reply to you? I put my hand over my mouth.”
‭‭Job‬ ‭40:1-4‬ ‭

Enough said!  God is Sovereign.    Job recognizes this, submits to Him, and prays for his wife and friends (who had been antagonizing him through the whole ordeal...

“After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes and gave him twice as much as he had before. All his brothers and sisters and everyone who had known him before came and ate with him in his house. They comforted and consoled him over all the trouble the Lord had brought on him, and each one gave him a piece of silver and a gold ring. TheLord blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the former part. He had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, thousand yoke of oxen and a thousand donkeys. And he also had seven sons and three daughters. The first daughter he named Jemimah, the second Keziah and the third Keren-Happuch. Nowhere in all the land were there found women as beautiful as Job’s daughters, and their father granted them an inheritance along with their brothers. After this, Job lived hundred and forty years; he saw his children and their children to the fourth generation. And so Job died, an old man and full of years.”
‭‭Job‬ ‭42:10-17‬ ‭

“As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.”
‭‭James‬ ‭5:11‬ ‭

Indeed - God is Sovereign!    And while He owes us NOTHING, He protects us, loves us, delivers us, and works all things together for good - for those who love Him.

The lesson here?  Questioning God is good.  But in the end, it is all about having faith in the all powerful sovereign God of the universe.  And our knowledge of Him is truly like "A Drop in the Ocean!"

For more truth about life, see...  www.truthatlife.com

Wednesday, July 20, 2016

A Drop in the Ocean (part 2)

There is too much emphasis on self-esteem in our society today.  Everyone is a winner.  No they are not!  Among the most important things for kids to learn is not how to win, it is how to LOSE!

You CANNOT be whatever you want to be.  No way!  That is a lie that well-meaning parents tell their kids. 
We are teaching an illusion that "if you just believe in yourself, you can do anything."  YOU CAN'T!  Life does not work that way.  There are limitations and God has designed you and gifted you for a specific purpose, a specific calling.  What happens when the powers of positive thinking doesn't work?   We crash big time!  We lose faith! 

The most quoted verse in the Bible:
“I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”
‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4:13‬ ‭

While that is true - it is often misunderstood.  God will give you the strength to do what He has called you to do - to do His will (not your will), His plan (not your plan).

The verse we should quote the most:
“I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.”
‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4:12‬ ‭

Life isn't always good.  Sometimes it sucks.  We hurt.  We lose.

“He gathers the waters of the sea into jars; he puts the deep into storehouses. Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the people of the world revere him. For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm. The Lord foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples. But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.”
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭33:7-11‬ ‭

Our God is a God that you cannot exaggerate.  We are not the masters of the universe.  He is.

God is really, really big and we are really, really small:
“Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boasting your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil. If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.”
‭‭James‬ ‭4:13-17‬ ‭

Life is short, we are all going to die, we should live in His will and die in peace.  Life is like a vapor and it vanishes away.  We are designed for eternity - to rejoice in heaven and praise God forever.  

The path of significance does NOT lead through self esteem.  It cannot be based on our own value or worth.  It must lead through  our relationship to God and His live for us.

“Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.”
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭100:3‬ ‭
Two truths:
1. He is God
2. We are His.

“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭10:29-31‬ ‭

God is the one who gives us worth and endows us with value.  So don't be paralyzed by the fear of failure.  Your are not responsible for the outcome, you are responsible for being faithful for what you are called to do!

Live for Him.  He is a big God and we are His.  What is God calling you to do today?

God is so big.  We worship a God we cannot exaggerate.   Our understanding of Him is just "a drop in the ocean."  Our worth and value are found completely in Him.  So what step or risk or adventure is He calling you to do today?

For  more truth about life.  See www.truthatlife.com

Sunday, July 17, 2016

A Drop in the Ocean (part 1)

Worry is not really knowing who God is - or having forgot it.

Faith is confidence that God is who He says He is and will do what He said He will do.

What if everything we know about God today is just a drop in the ocean?

You can't put the ocean in a bottle.  You really know fully who God is and what He is like.  Our knowledge of Him is like drop in the ocean.  He is so much more - we can't even imagine!

We can ask Him to explain Himself, but we must remember who we are talking to:

““Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone— while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy? “Who shut up the sea behind doors when it burst forth from the womb, when I made the clouds its garment and wrapped it in thick darkness, when I fixed limits for it and set its doors and bars in place, when I said, ‘This far you may come and no farther; here is where your proud waves halt’? “Have you ever given orders to the morning, or shown the dawn its place, that it might take the earth by the edges and shake the wicked out of it? The earth takes shape like clay under a seal; its features stand out like those of a garment. The wicked are denied their light, and their upraised arm is broken. “Have you journeyed to the springs of the sea or walked in the recesses of the deep? Have the gates of death been shown to you? Have you seen the gates of the deepest darkness? Have you comprehended the vast expanses of the earth? Tell me, if you know all this. “What is the way to the abode of light? And where does darkness reside? Can you take them to their places? Do you know the paths to their dwellings? Surely you know, for you were already born! You have lived so many years! “Have you entered the storehouses of the snow or seen the storehouses of the hail, which I reserve for times of trouble, for days of war and battle? What is the way to the place where the lightning is dispersed, or the place where the east winds are scattered over the earth? Who cuts a channel for the torrents of rain, and a path for the thunderstorm, to water a land where no one lives, an uninhabited desert, to satisfy desolate wasteland and make it sprout with grass? Does the rain have a father? Who fathers the drops of dew? From whose womb comes the ice? Who gives birth to the frost from the heavens when the waters become hard as stone, when the surface of the deep is frozen?”
‭‭Job‬ ‭38:4-30‬ ‭

“He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.”
‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭3:11‬ ‭

We are far too easily pleased.  Like an ignorant child who goes on making mud pies, not even knowing there is an endless ocean.

We are far too tempted to go to the ocean and instead of plunging in, we just dabble our toes in its edge.

And when we see tragedy, we question where was God?  How could it let something like that happen?

The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!” He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. “Where is your faith?” he asked his disciples. In fear and amazement they asked one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.””
‭‭Luke‬ ‭8:24-25‬ ‭

“grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭3:18-19‬ ‭

What has you terrified?  Scared to death?

For more truth about life, see www.truthatlife.com